The Bible — World English Bible

Ephesians 3

In brief

In Ephesians 3, Paul writes from prison and returns to the great secret God has unveiled in Christ: the Gentiles are now fellow heirs, members of the same body and partakers of the same promise. He presents himself as a servant who earned nothing, sent to preach the riches of Christ. Then the text turns into prayer: Paul asks that believers be strengthened by the Spirit, rooted in love and able to grasp its vastness, and the chapter ends with praise to the God who can do far more than we ask.

The chapter in 4 parts

  1. v. 1-6The mystery revealed: Jews and Gentiles together in Christ
  2. v. 7-13Paul, servant of grace, and the church that displays the wisdom of God
  3. v. 14-19The prayer: strengthened by the Spirit, rooted in the love of Christ
  4. v. 20-21Glory to him who can do infinitely more

1For this cause I, Paul, am the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles,

2if it is so that you have heard of the administration of that grace of God which was given me toward you,

3how that by revelation the mystery was made known to me, as I wrote before in few words,

4by which, when you read, you can perceive my understanding in the mystery of Christ,

5which in other generations was not made known to the children of men, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit,

6that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of his promise in Christ Jesus through the Good News,

7of which I was made a servant according to the gift of that grace of God which was given me according to the working of his power.

8To me, the very least of all saints, was this grace given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,

9and to make all men see what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things through Jesus Christ,

10to the intent that now through the assembly the manifold wisdom of God might be made known to the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places,

11according to the eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.

12In him we have boldness and access in confidence through our faith in him.

13Therefore I ask that you may not lose heart at my troubles for you, which are your glory.

14For this cause, I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

15from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,

16that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that you may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person,

17that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, to the end that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

18may be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth,

19and to know Christ’s love which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

20Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,

21to him be the glory in the assembly and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

Key verses

Verse 6
that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of his promise in Christ Jesus through the Good News,

Here is the mystery in one sentence: those who were kept at a distance from the promise now enter it on equal terms with everyone else, through the Good News. Paul uses three words built on the idea of together: fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, fellow partakers of the promise.

Verse 8
To me, the very least of all saints, was this grace given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,

Paul calls himself “the very least of all saints” and yet he is the one sent to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ. Grace does not choose the most qualified: it equips those it calls.

Verse 12
In him we have boldness and access in confidence through our faith in him.

In Christ, access to God is no longer reserved for a few or conditioned by our merits. Believers can come near with confidence, even in hardship, as Paul does from his cell.

Verse 17-19
that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, to the end that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, and to know Christ’s love which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Paul prays that Christ would dwell in the heart through faith and that believers, rooted in love, would measure the width, length, height and depth of that love. At the same time he admits that it surpasses knowledge: we enter into it by living it, not by mastering it.

Verse 20
Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,

Paul's prayer ends in praise: God acts through the power that already works in us, and he goes beyond what we dare to ask or imagine. The verse invites us to pray boldly, without shrinking God down to our expectations.

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What the sermons say

The Outsiders' Courtyard: Christ's Mystery Revealed for YouMounir Nosel reads the opening of the chapter through three words: prisoner, mystery, servant. He connects it to the court of the Gentiles in the temple: from his prison, Paul defends the access of the excluded to God.Read the summary →Ephesians 3: The Unsearchable Riches of Christ, Your True InheritanceOn verses 8 to 13, the preacher shows that Paul suffers an injustice without losing heart. He invites us to look at what God accomplishes through hardship, and not to let go of hope.Read the summary →Reconciled Church: Find Your Place in ChristThe message starts from two questions: who am I, and what is my place? It follows Paul's reversal, from persecutor of the church to builder, and invites each person to find their place in God's plan.Read the summary →Wide, Long, High, Deep: The Love of ChristA reading of the prayer in verses 12 to 21: coming near with confidence, being strengthened by the Spirit, understanding the four dimensions of the love of Christ, then believing that God can do more than we ask.Read the summary →

Frequently asked questions about Ephesians 3

What is the mystery Paul talks about in Ephesians 3?

The mystery is a plan of God that stayed hidden for a long time and was revealed in Christ: the Gentiles are admitted on equal terms with the Jews. They are fellow heirs, members of the same body and partakers of the same promise, through the Good News (verse 6). Paul is not speaking of a secret reserved for insiders, but of good news meant for everyone.

What do the width, length, height and depth mean in Ephesians 3:18?

Paul does not say what each dimension refers to, and commentators have suggested several readings. The general sense is clear: the love of Christ is immense and has no limit. The next verse adds that it surpasses knowledge, which means we discover it by experiencing it more than by analyzing it.

Why is Paul in prison in Ephesians 3?

Paul calls himself “the prisoner of Christ Jesus” because of his mission to the Gentiles. The book of Acts tells how announcing salvation to the nations stirred up the anger of the crowd in Jerusalem, and then led to his arrest. For Paul, this captivity is no failure: he sees it as a consequence of his faithfulness to the calling he received.

Articles quoting Ephesians 3

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World English Bible translation — public domain.